The Power of Prayer

The Lord's Prayer in Xhosa

If you type “the power of prayer” into a Google search you get about 50 million results.  And impressively in only .17 seconds it tells me.  That is a lot to sort through and I am willing to bet that no one has the time to do that. So here are a couple of ways I have experienced it that I am pretty sure aren’t included in the Google search.

First let’s start with a question.  Have you ever experienced someone praying in a language that you don’t understand?  I honestly can’t recall if prior to me being here I really got to experience that.  I am certain that I heard prayer in other languages, but I am can’t recall experiencing prayer in another language.  Now, the difference between “heard” and “experienced” might be semantics to many, but let me give you an example of what I mean by the two.  Let’s say I have a young, very energetic and boisterous daughter.  Let’s call her “Olivia” just for story sake.  Now let’s say that “Olivia” is getting a little rowdy some place where that behavior is not appropriate.  Now as I am standing at a distance from her I tell “Olivia” that she needs to settle down and be quiet.  She hears me.  Now same situation, but this time I take “Olivia” by the arm, I bend down to her level, I look her in the eye and I sternly tell her that she needs to settle down and be quiet.  She hears me as she did in the other situation, but this time I think she is also experiencing what I am telling her.  Prayer is no different and I think it can be heard and/or experienced. 

I am blessed to weekly get the chance to experience prayer in a language I don’t understand.  Sometimes it is in Xhosa, sometimes in Afrikaans and sometimes even in heavily accented English.  Sometimes it is in staff devotions, sometimes it is in the communities we work and sometimes it is one on one.  And I get to experience it a lot of the time from people who know how to pray.  They aren’t just saying the words to the prayer, but rather crying them out to God as if he is sitting right next to them.  I have NO clue what the words are that are being spoken and thus have NO clue the meaning of these strange syllables.  But make no mistake I experience these prayers.  You realize the power, in that, even though I don’t have a clue what is being said, God does. You feel the magnitude of the God we serve who understands all languages and knows when his children's hearts are crying out to him.  You realize the power in that your personal savior is also the personal savior of all nations and all languages.  You feel the transcending effect of connecting with other believers through an uncommon language which is more than often a disconnect. You intimately feel the power of prayer.

The Lord's Prayer in Afrikaans

The second way I have experienced this was through a recent staff devotion. At the end of each devotion we take the time for prayer requests before we pray.  The other day we listened to people ask for prayer for ill family members, for safe travels, etc.  And in the midst of one of those often awkward pauses as people wait for someone else to say something a gentleman broke the silence by simply stating, “I have a headache”.  Now in my mind my first reaction was to think “Man, that was a random comment”.  But then I realized he wasn’t simply telling us that to break the silence, but rather telling us because that is what he wanted prayer for…a simple headache.  Not a migraine. Not a debilitating headache where the pain is so bad it makes him throw up.  Not constant daily headaches that won’t go away.  No, simply at that time on that morning he had a headache and he believed the power of prayer would help.  Did this guy just throw out some faith as small as a mustard seed?  As I sat there I realized there is no way I would have mentioned that prayer request like that.  I mean, come on, a basic headache doesn’t need prayer, but rather just a couple of Advil.  But why would I not mention it?  As I thought more about it I realized the brilliance in the path this person was walking.   He firmly believed in the power of prayer.  He wasn’t saying that he was against modern medicine to combat the pain, but he was asking for the most powerful medicine out there.  He knows the same power that conquers incurable illness, mends relationships, and comforts the brokenhearted can be called upon to cure basic ailments.  Prayer isn’t about us just connecting with God to ask him to solve “big ticket” items, the items we don’t think we can take on ourselves.  We pray to give thanks, to connect with God intimately, to worship, to lift up our burdens and to seek guidance.  Every breath we breathe is designed to be a prayer.  In a simple request for a simple issue with a simple solution I got to experience the power of prayer.

Tate